Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Loaded with bacon, rotisserie chicken, cheese, tomatoes and mixed with a creamy ranch dressing, this Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad will be a side dish staple!

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Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad will soon become your favorite summer salad! This easy-to-make side dish is loaded with rotisserie chicken, chunks of bacon, cheese, tomatoes all mixed together with rotini pasta and our creamy ranch dressing.

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Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad – The Best Summer Salad

Pasta salad is a staple at every summer barbecue. This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad really packs a punch when it comes to flavor and it couldn’t be any easier to make!

Grab some rotisserie chicken next time you are at the grocery, some bacon and a few other ingredients and this easy pasta salad will come together in no time!

Ingredients

• 12-ounce pack rotini pasta ( I used Wacky Pack Veggie Spiral Pack)
• 3 cups of chopped rotisserie chicken 
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, sharp
• 1 chopped tomato, or a handful of cherry tomatoes chopped in half
• 6 pieces THICK sliced bacon, diced and cooked well done
• 1 zucchini, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 1 recipe of Copycat Ranch Dressing (below)

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 pack Ranch Dressing (the original recipe called for 1 teaspoon dry Ranch dressing Buttermilk Recipe)
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

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How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

1. Make Ranch dressing ahead by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Cook bacon pieces on med-low heat until crisp.
   Pro-Tip: When cooking the bacon, start bacon pieces in a cold skillet to ensure that your bacon cooks evenly. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.
3. Cook pasta according to box directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
   Pro-Tip: Rinsing the cooked pasta in cold water after draining is best when doing a cold pasta salad recipe. It stops the pasta from cooking, and it keeps the pasta loose for the salad.
4. Add chicken, pasta, tomatoes, cooked bacon in a large bowl.
   Pro-Tip: You need a large bowl to mix everything together but then can transfer to a serving dish after chilling.
5. Add the shredded cheddar and shredded zucchini.
6. Pour the ranch dressing into the bowl and mix to combine.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.

More Easy Pasta Salad Recipes

Caprese Pasta Salad | BLT Pasta Salad | Greek Chicken Pasta Salad | The EASIEST Antipasto Pasta Salad Recipe | Pizza Pasta Salad | Italian Pasta Salad | Creamy Pasta Salad

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5 from 5 votes

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Author — Jennifer Fishkind

Serves — 8

Loaded with bacon, rotisserie chicken, cheese, tomatoes and mixed with a creamy ranch dressing, this Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad will be a side dish staple!

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 8 mins

Total Time 18 mins

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 12 ounce pack spiral pasta ( I used Wacky Pack Veggie Spiral Pack)
• ▢ 3 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
• ▢ 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese sharp
• ▢ 1 chopped tomato or a handful of cherry tomatoes chopped in half
• ▢ 6 pcs thick sliced bacon diced and cooked well done
• ▢ 1 zucchini shredded (about 2 cups)

Copycat Ranch Dressing Ingredients:

• ▢ 1 pack Ranch Dressing
• ▢ 1 cup mayonnaise
• ▢ ¾ cup buttermilk
• ▢ ¼ tsp black pepper
• ▢ ¼ tsp paprika
• ▢ ¼ tsp garlic powder

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Make Ranch dressing ahead by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
• If you are using uncooked chicken instead of pre-cooked chicken, proceed with this step: Season chicken with salt & pepper, drizzle with olive oil, then place in a baking dish. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes until chicken reaches 165* internal temperature. Cut the chicken into small cubes.
• Cook bacon pieces on med-low heat until crisp.
• Cook pasta according to box directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Then place into a large mixing bowl to cool while preparing other ingredients.
• Add chicken to the bowl of pasta. Then add the shredded zucchini, tomatoes, cooked bacon, shredded cheddar and ranch dressing. Mix everything to combine.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.

Jenn’s Notes

Important Notes:

• Rinsing the cooked pasta in cold water after draining is best when doing a cold pasta salad recipe. It stops the pasta from cooking, and it keeps the pasta loose for the salad.
• You need a large bowl to mix everything together but then can transfer to a serving dish after chilling.
• When cooking the bacon, start bacon pieces in a cold skillet to ensure that your bacon cooks evenly. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

Video

Nutrition Info

Calories: 609kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 943mg | Potassium: 310mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 337IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 159mg | Iron: 1mg

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Post & Recipe Update: Original post August 21, 2014